barrier between the city and the waterfront. the freeway is long gone and in its place, the scenic promenade. that's one of the success stories that emerged from that disaster. >>> reporter: the grim images of loma are hard to forget. 42 people died when the upper deck pancaked on to the lower. it burned out of control for hours. in the end, the 6.9 magnitude quake killed 63 people, injured more than 3700, and caused nearly $6 billion in damage. >> i remember running outside and seeing telephone poles and wires all over the place. >> reporter: san francisco businessman jack robertson also remembers when the ferry building was just that. >> nobody went here. you took the fer ry, you kind of went through a little tiny hallway to get from the boat and got out of here as quickly as possible. >> the quake prompted a new vision for the area that reunited the city with its waterfront. with miles of spectacular walking and bicycle paths, restaurants, and open spaces. >> i think we've taken what was an awful event for a lot of people and